Passion in its Rarest Form
by Isilmeselde
Summary: Years after failing to find a mate, Sesshomaru's instincts once again lead him to a girl that might be worthy, but when he finds her, she's not exactly what he expected. Can he awaken the secret sleeping in her veins for his own personal use or will this
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Everyone knows the drill… hopefully. I don't own Inuyasha… yet. ; )

AN: Here's my first Inuyasha story! I hope nothing is too confusing. I wasn't planning to post the story till I had it completely finished, but I couldn't wait anymore! So yeah, enjoy my fic!   

*And things in _italics _are thoughts. Sometimes I say when people are thinking, but there are times I don't, so ya… 

Prologue 

The Lord of the Western lands sat silently at his desk in one of his many studies. Unlike his usually emotionless mask, he wore a bored expression openly. He rubbed at his left shoulder which now had a full-grown arm attached. Every now and then his arm would give a twitch for no reason and caused him annoyance. He scowled at the memory of his pathetic brother taking his arm little over a year ago. Of course even though his arm had grown back, but he was still incapable of moving it. He spent most of his days trying to rebuild the muscle back in his arm but so far his arm was paralyzed. There was very little excitement to his life as of late. 

            Before he lost his arm, and even before he started looking for his father's grave, he'd been trying to find a mate. It wasn't something he exactly wanted to do, but it was something his instincts demanded of him. Too long had he tried to hold back his instincts but nature got the better of him. He went through at least a dozen mates. All of them proved unworthy of possessing his powerful demon blood. Half of his mates died in the middle of pregnancy, and the other half died while giving birth then after, the child would follow in death. 

            It wasn't as sad as some may thing. He was the Ice Prince after all, and he never gave into falling in love with any of the demons he mated with. To him, it had been any other day. The only thing that bothered him was the fact that he still needed an heir, which meant he still needed a mate. The drive to find a mate had lessened a year ago. When he stopped searching for mates, he took up finding his father's grave to claim his father's sword tetsusaiga as his new past time. That only led to his half-breed half-brother succeeding in taking the sword and slicing off his arm. 

            Sesshomaru stood from his desk, just as his servant, Jaken came running through the door. His hat was replaced with a crown of flowers, and he now wore a woman's kimono that had been made for a doll. The sight was comical, but no smile appeared on the Demon Lord's face. 

            "Please Sesshomaru-sama!" he panted doubling over to catch his breath. 

            "Ooooh Jaaaaken!" the innocent voice of Sesshomaru's ward, Rin called. The child ran through the door and spotted the wheezing Jaken. She threw her arms in the air and ran toward the frightened looking Jaken. 

            "There you are!" she cried with delight.

            "NO! Help me please!" the lowly demon pleaded on his knees at Sesshomaru's feet, his yellow eyes bulging more than they normally did. The Demon Lord just starred at him without replying and then turned his attention to Rin. The smile on her face was true and pure. Her eyes never showed fear of him like most full-grown demons did. To say the least, Rin had become a way to keep him busy. It took most of his time just to sort out the young girls emotions. At times, he couldn't stand Rin or her obsessive chatter, but she never really seemed to get in the way, so he let her stay with him. Although he'd never say it out loud, her company was far more enjoyable than that of Jaken. There would come a time when he knew he'd have to send her away, but he little about and how they worked. He did know that his castle was no place for her to grow into a woman. As much as he'd never want to see her leave, she needed a more normal life than the one that he gave her.  

Sesshomaru made his way to the door and stepped purposely on Jaken on his way out. Jaken gave a loud grunt and then just lay flat and motionless on the floor. 

            "Where are you going milord?" Rin asked turning to watch him leave. 

            "You know it's time I patrol my lands," he said in his calm, smooth tone. 

            "Can Rin come? Please?" she begged as she skipped alone after him out of his study and down the hall. He didn't say anything just ignored her. He had no use for her to come. His patrol would be a quick one, and he needed this time alone. There would be no point in her coming. 

            "Please, please, please, please, please, please…"

            "Shut up," he demanded still keeping his calm. "You may not come," he finally answered. He didn't know what it was that made him hate saying no to the girl, but he did it when necessary. 

            "Ok, Rin will stay here," Rin sighed. She stopped and watched Sesshomaru continue down the hall. 

            "Go play with Jaken. I'll back at sunset," he spoke a little softer much to his disgust and disappeared around the corner and out of Rin's sight. Sesshomaru walked swiftly and lightly through the halls of his castle till he reached the large front door. Opening the heavy doors with ease, he stepped out into the hot summer air. The summer was warmer than pervious ones, and he could taste the liquid heat in the humid air. His castle was hidden from the untrained eye, and he stepped through the secret gates and onto the frontier of his land. 

            The sun was at its highest point in the sky and would set fast as the summer faded. The breeze held no comfort from the heat, because it seemed to be hotter than the temperature that surrounded him. He stopped his long strides when the wind carried something familiar. It was the scent and feeling he'd get when he could sense a possible worthy female mate. He thought that he'd lost the sense or more or less the 'drive' to track a mate awhile back. It had been a few years sense he'd last taken a mate, but the feeling was unmistakable. One could describe it as a call from destiny, and it was almost impossible to turn your back on. He knew, because he tried it once. Focusing on the scent, he headed in the direction the sent came from. 

            "Yet again another hunt starts as the instincts rage on…" he slightly chuckled to himself.

AN: There's the prologue. *cheers* Did I catch anybodies attention? It's short, but remember it's just the prologue. Just ask if you're confused about something. Point out any mistakes I make or anything else, but be warned that I laugh at flames! *smirks* Yeah anyway, I'll be posting chapter one in a few days if anyone is interested. 

Ja ne!


	2. An Unexpected Guest

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Go figure!

AN: Yeah! It's Friday and I'll be free from school… for two days. Ok so yeah, on with chapter one! 

Chapter 1

An Unexpected Guest

The full moon shone bright and big in the flawless night sky. Kagome sat down mesmerized by it's beauty. Pulling her legs close to her chest, she placed her chin over her knees. Everything looked perfect even though Kagome's mind was over come with emotions. A breeze passed by and brushed her face in a smooth motion as if reassuring her. She smiled despite herself. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she tilted her head to continue to gaze at the heavenly sky letting out a long suppressed sigh. 

            No matter how much Kagome didn't want to admit it, going back and forth from the feudal area was draining. It wasn't just the shard hunting and destroying demons but all the mental battles she had to deal with. The constant confrontations with Inuyasha were what set her over the edge.  

            _He just doesn't get it. Inuyasha doesn't see why I have to go to school. I have to take my tests! I'm barley passing as it is! Why can't he understand? _Kagome's thoughts drifted. A single tear slid down Kagome's cheek; it wasn't just the fact that Inuyasha started a fight every time she needed to go home but so much more. Kagome loved Inuyasha, but there was always someone that would be there to keep Inuyasha from completely returning her love. _Kikyo _

Kagome wiped away the tears that were starting to fall freely now. Standing up on shaky legs, Kagome made her way into her house. Every part of her was sore from running and fighting all day. She couldn't say she hated all her adventures with Inuyasha and her friends, but today proved to be overwhelming. She was looking forward to sleeping in her own bed tonight. The whole house was quiet as she stepped through the door. Trudging up the stairs, she tried to be a silent as she could manage, but she tripped on the last step. 

            "Ouch," she let out just above a whisper. She heard the door to her brother Sota's room open with a slow creek.

            "Who's there?" Sota asked half a sleep and half startled. 

            "It just me," Kagome reassured. "Go back to bed." 

            "All right," her brother yawned and disappeared as he retreated into his room again. Kagome straightened herself out and gratefully reached her bedroom. She removed her pretty much empty backpack and laid it next to her desk. Then taking off her socks and shoes, she crawled into bed, clothes and all; she didn't care. All Kagome wanted to do was sleep and sleep over took her the second she closed her eyes. 

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"Kagome!" woke her from her peaceful sleep the next morning. Snuggling deeper into her blankets, she tried to ignore Sota who was calling her. Seconds later, she heard feet run up the stairs and reach her door. Kagome put her pillow over her head as Sota stepped into her room.

"Five more minutes!" Kagome cried from under her pillow. To Sota, her cry was just a muffle of words.

"What?" he asked coming over to jump on his sister in an attempt of fully waking her. Kagome groaned at his weight on her sore muscles. 

"Get off me!" she yelled sitting up and pushing him off her bed. 

"Don't kill the messenger! Mom says you have to get up," Sota defended himself. Kagome glanced over to her alarm clock; it was 7:00am. 

"Why?" Kagome asked. 

"Because there's someone here for you," Sota answered as he stood up and walked to her door. 

"But who would come see me this early?" Kagome wondered out loud. She looked up to see Sota, but he had left. Pondering on whom it might be, she concluded that it was probably Inuyasha come to take her back to the feudal era. __

_Well he'll just have to wait for a while, because I have a very important math test to make up tomorrow. _Kagome thought hotly. In much need of a shower, Kagome stomped to the bathroom. She took her time as she let the hot water run over her for a good five minutes. If there were two things Kagome was thankful for at that moment, it would have to be hot, running water and shampoo. Stepping out of the shower, she dried off quickly and got changed into a plain, blue skirt and a t-shirt with a flower pattern on it. It was warm enough so she didn't need a sweater. 

After being completely finished with her morning routine, Kagome ventured out of her room to the kitchen. She heard her mother talking to someone, and she expected it was Inuyasha. As she stepped through the doorway, she saw someone she didn't expect. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she knew the person. 

The girl in front of Kagome was very familiar, but she couldn't put a name to the face. The girl's bleach, blonde hair was pulled back into two French braid's at the top of each side of her head, but the braid wasn't finished all the way back so the rest of the loose hair was put into two sloppy buns. Her eyes were an eerily, dark, electric green that Kagome was sure she should remember. Her heart-shaped face was womanly with high cheekbones and a small proud nose. The girl had a very plain figure with hardly any curves, which clashed, with her pretty face. She was a few inches taller Kagome. A crisp, white T-shirt hung loosely on her, and she wore form fitting, denim shorts. The girl's white socks went all the way above her knees and untied, beat-up, Adidas sneakers covered her feet. That's when Kagome noticed the charm bracelet on the girl's left wrist. Kagome had given her friend a bracelet just like it. That's when the girl smiled. _That smile…_

"Kagome, this is Ariana. You remember Ariana don't you?"  Kagome's mom asked noticing the confused look on her daughter's face. Kagome's face instantly lit up at the realization of who the girl was. 

"Ariana? Oh my gosh! I didn't even recognize you," Kagome gasped. 

"I was a little worried for a second. I thought you forgot about me completely," Ariana teased and stepped to Kagome to give her a friendly hug. Kagome looked up at her good friend. Ariana had been Kagome's foreign exchange student from America. Kagome's mom had set it up, because she thought an exchange student would be a great experience. It had been an experience Kagome would never that was for sure. It had been a few years sense she last saw Ariana. Ariana had been thirteen when she came to Japan, and Kagome was only twelve at the time. 

"Wow, what brings you here to Japan?" Kagome asked stepping back. "Aren't you still in school?" 

"Well, I graduated early," Ariana answered with a huge smile on her face. It wasn't surprising that she graduated early. Ariana was very smart; it would have surprised her if she hadn't graduated early. 

"That's fantastic! Congratulations," Kagome said excited for her friend. 

"Thanks, it's the greatest feeling in the world when you know you're finally done with school," Ariana sighed as she took a seat at the kitchen table. Kagome took a seat as well, and her mom left so the girls could chat. 

"I can only imagine," Kagome shook her head in disbelief. "You're how old now?"

"I turned 17 three months ago," Ariana stated very proudly. 

"I thought so. I couldn't remember when your birth day was," Kagome said more to herself than Ariana. 

"So, you just started 11th grade?" Ariana asked. 

"No, 10th," Kagome corrected. "I just turned sixteen this year." 

"You got a long way to go kid," Ariana chuckled. Kagome smiled as she looked up at her friend. She could help but envy Ariana's freedom of high school. Ariana was barely a year older than her, and she was already done with school. It would certainly make things easier with Inuyasha if she were done with school too. 

"Wait, aren't you going to college?" Kagome asked almost forgetting that possibility. Ariana's knowledge wasn't a question at why she wasn't in college.  

"Um… yeah, but I just want to travel before I bog myself down with school again," Ariana answered truthfully. 

"Hey, you're only 17!" Kagome suddenly blurted out. 

"I think we already established that fact dear," Ariana giggled. Kagome shook her head and rolled her eyes. 

"No, that's not what I meant," Kagome laughed too. "I just meant that you're a miner. What about your parents and everything?" 

"I was emancipated. Let's just leave it at that." Kagome nodded in understanding. Ariana never talked about her parents when she was here. Now that she learned Ariana was emancipated, she could safely assume that Ariana didn't have a good relationship with her parents. It made Kagome sad, because she didn't know what she'd do if her mom weren't around. Kagome was just thankful that her mom and her got alone so well. 

"Where have you been then? Your so tan, and your hair is so light now," Kagome pointed out because those were some of the reasons she didn't recognize Ariana. The Ariana she remembered was pale with dark blonde hair. Her face wasn't as filled out as it was now either, but Ariana's figure was still just as plain and skinny. 

"The only place I've been so far is California. You know were that is right?" Ariana waited for Kagome to nod before she continued. "Ok, well I've been there working to make up enough money to come here," Ariana shrugged. 

"California must have been fun?" she asked imagining Hollywood and famous movie stars.

"It was, but it was always hot!" Ariana laughed pulling Kagome into her infectious laughter. 

"I remember, you lived some place cold most of the time," Kagome added. 

"Montana," Ariana reminded her. Kagome noticed Ariana's eyes grow dark, and her express become almost sad. Kagome concluded it was another one of those bad relationship things, so she didn't ask. "But enough about me, how have you been?" Ariana's mood quickly changed. Kagome nervously giggled unsure of what to say. She couldn't tell Ariana that she's been hopping back and forth from this time era to the feudal era through a time transporting well. 

"I, I, I've been sick a lot," Kagome said innocently enough, maybe too innocently. 

"That's too bad," Ariana sympathized not noticing the hesitation in Kagome's voice. Kagome gave an invisible sigh of relief. 

"Oh don't worry. I'm pretty much better now," Kagome added with a wave of her hand and another nervous laugh at the end.

"That's good. Have there been any 'special' guy friends yet?" Ariana asked leaning forward. Kagome instantly blushed a bright shade of pink. 

"No," Kagome said quickly. 

"Yeah right, you've had to of had a boyfriend by now" Ariana laughed as she sat back in her chair. "Or at least a guy you got your eye on then," Ariana crossed her arms over her chest.

"There isn't," Kagome cursed herself silently as she continued to blush. _Not in this era anyway, _Kagome thought. "What about you?" Kagome asked turning the question around before it got out of her control. Ariana sat with a half smirk on her face deep in thought. Kagome waited patiently at least Ariana wasn't asking her any more questions. 

"I have given up on boys and men for that matter," Ariana finally answered quite seriously. Kagome knitted her brows together for a second. 

"Sooooo," Kagome started not really wanting to ask but wanting an answer. 

"No, I haven't turned lesbian or anything," Ariana snorted. Again Kagome could feel herself turn red again, and all Kagome could do was laugh with Ariana. 

"It wouldn't have made a difference. I was just curious," Kagome explained.

"It's all good," Ariana smiled warmly, "basically I've given up on the whole love thing." 

"But you're so young," Kagome sighed. She wondered what could have happened to her to make such a vibrant girl give up on love. 

"It's a long story." 

"I don't have to be anywhere," Kagome said. 

The two girls talked long into the afternoon till Kagome forced herself to study for her make-up math test she had the next day. Ariana even helped Kagome with her studies. That night Kagome fell asleep happy. She was glad she got to chat with her friend; it was almost refreshing. It seemed nothing could go wrong.

AN: Hello to everyone! Hope I didn't bore anyone too much. That chapter was just to sort of to introduce Ariana. It turned out to be more dialogue than I had planed, but I think it worked. I know a lot of people don't like when authors add new characters because most of them turn out well… Mary Sueish. But have no fear because Ariana is not perfect! So give my character a chance! If she seems perfect, then make sure to tell me and point out things that I could change, but I'm not saying I will. I plan to stay true to all the original characters personalities and all that good stuff. The plot will develop a few chapters in, because I still need to do some character building with Ariana.

Ok, I'll shut up. *shakes head* I tend to talk too much in these author notes. I think I need to get out more. *shrugs* Enjoy my fic and review, review, review! I love thoughts, comments and suggestions! 


	3. History Trip

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Inuyasha.

AN: I wanted to finished chapter 3 before I posted this, but I decided to post it now cause I felt like it. I need to go back and tweak chapter one, because I found a problem. If anyone can find it I'll give you a cookie for being sharp (cookie not included). Thanks to those of you that reviewed so far! 

Chapter 2

History Trip 

Kagome ran frantically through the kitchen shoving different things in her yellow pack. It was already stuffed full with supplies and now Kagome was just trying to fit extra Roman and chocolate in. She wasn't really paying attention to anything. The only sounds she heard were her own questioning thoughts. _Inuyasha is going to be so mad! What do I tell him? Will he let me come back to say goodbye to Ariana?_

It had been two days sense Ariana came to visit. Kagome told Inuyasha she'd be back yesterday after her test, but she just couldn't leave Ariana. So far, Kagome planned to explain the situation to Inuyasha and get back to her own time fast enough to spend the rest of the weekend with Ariana. It could work. All Kagome needed was a miracle. 

Throwing her heavy yellow back over her shoulder, she ran out the back door. The sun was just begging to rise covering the world in pinks and purples. The morning seemed too peaceful and perfect that Kagome was already expecting the worst. She finally reached the mini-shrine but didn't realize the shadowy figure that followed her. Taking her place on the edge of the well, she readied herself to jump in when a voice startled her. 

"What are you doing?" Kagome's heart gave a jolt at the unexpected sound of Ariana's voice. Kagome turned to be face to face with Ariana. Again she was startled and lost her balance. Kagome could feel Ariana grab onto her backpack, but it was too late. The two girls plummeted into the bone-eaters well. They landed at the bottom of the well with a loud thud. It was the hardest landing Kagome had ever experienced. She could already feel her butt begin to throb. Hopeful, Kagome looked up praying that the portal didn't work, and that they were still in modern day Japan. There was no such luck everything was blue skies above. 

"Damn," Kagome muttered under her breath being in a curse worthy situation. Immediately, her mind began to race with desperate questions. _What do I do? Do I tell her she's dreaming? Do I tell her the truth? Oh no! What about Inuyasha?_ At this point, Kagome was panicking. She'd never been in this kind of situation before. Man eating demons she could handle but explaining to Ariana that they were now in the feudal era and still think her sane was going to be hard. 

Well so far Inuyasha hadn't poked his head into the well yet. That was a good sign right? Kagome looked down at Ariana who was at her feet. Her eyes were closed, and she was rubbing her forehead.

"Are you all right Kagome?" Ariana asked in a groggy voice getting to her feet on shaky legs. "Wow that was a hard landing. I suppose it didn't help with me landing on top of you?" 

"No, but I'm fine," Kagome assured pushing herself up off the floor of the well. "But why did you sneak after me?" Kagome demanded suddenly slightly annoyed. 

"I was sneaky?" Ariana pointed an unassuming finger at herself.

"Yes," Kagome nodded. 

"Hang on, I wasn't the one that got up ay the crack of dawn, got dressed quieter than a mouse, and then stuffed her backpack full of ramen and chocolate to dash off to jump in a dry well!" Ariana argued making her point very clear. 

"Ok, but you still could have made your presence known. You didn't have to _sneak_ after me," Kagome defended. 

"_Actually_, I wasn't trying to be sneaky. I heard you get up so I got up too. I decided to get dress but by the time I got to the kitchen you'd already stuffed the last of your ramen in your pack and bolted out the door. I followed and the next thing I knew, you were about to jump into the well," Ariana explained. 

The two girls stood silently side by side starring up at the clear blue sky. Kagome noticed Ariana scratch her head in confusion, and Ariana started to climb out of the well before she had a chance to stop her. 

"Hold up!" Kagome cried as she rushed to the well wall were the vines grew. With the heavy yellow sack on her back, Kagome gradually made it out of the well. _Please be alive! Please be alive! _Kagome was worried because if Inuyasha was outside she wasn't sure how he'd handle the situation. Much to her relief, Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen. Kagome spotted Ariana just a few feet from the well. Ariana turned in circles as she stared in aw at all that surrounded her. For an instant, Kagome felt herself smile. She was no longer the only one that clashed with this time so harshly. Ariana screamed modern. She was wearing low-rise denim Capri's and a black belt with a modern day car-seat belt clasp. With her white lace tank top that showed most her stomach, Kagome now noticed a tattoo on her lower back. It wasn't large, but it sat on the center of her spine. It was some type of star, but there was an elaborate design to it. And of course she wore her trademark Adidas tennies and French braid pigtails.

Kagome couldn't push the feeling of dread away. A knot formed in her stomach as she watched Ariana observe her obvious different surroundings. It felt strange to share her secret with someone. Her family knew everything, but that was different. Ariana was just a girl from the United States that happened to follow her down the well. She was a friend, but she still wasn't her best friend. Was it that big of deal?

 "Wh… where did the shrine go? Better yet… where are we?" Ariana asked. Kagome averted her eyes from her friend in hope that a good idea would come to her. _Just hit her on the head and dump her back down the well. _Kagome quickly shook her head. _No! That's horrible! Scratch that idea. The truth will have to do. If she doesn't believe me…_

"Kagome?" Ariana inquired tentatively. Kagome came out of her thoughts to meet Ariana's questioning gaze. "Are you sure you're ok?" 

"Yes, but I have something to share with you. Believe what you will," Kagome practically announced. 

"Shoot," Ariana replied. 

"Let's sit," Kagome recommended. They both went to a near by tree. Kagome took her seat at the base of the tree, back against the trunk and her knees close to her chest. Ariana sat in front of her giving Kagome her attention. "About a little more that a year ago," Kagome started. "I was dragged into that well by a demon and came out here, Japan five hundred years ago," Kagome shook her head at how ridiculous her own words sounded even to herself. 

"Your story's lacking in credence," Ariana said in a bored tone. 

"How else are you going to believe that you just went down the well at the shrine and now you're in the middle of nowhere?" Kagome asked bitterly. Ariana's expression went blank as she seemed to go deep in thought. Kagome put her palm to her forehead in frustration when Ariana didn't reply. _Here's where it gets complicated. _

"I think I'll just wait till I'll wake up," Ariana laughed. 

"You're not dreaming!" Kagome tried to tell her. 

"Wait, if I get my history right. Then you're telling me that we are in Sengoku Jidai just because we fell down a well?" Ariana placed her chin in her hand as she continued to think. 

"I know it's difficult to believe." 

"Difficult isn't even the half of it. How is it possible to travel 500 years into the past? There is no way!"

Kagome took this time to explain all the prier events that lead to this day. She went into detail about Inuyasha. How she is a reincarnation of a dead pritesst named Kikyo. All the shard hunting she's done with her group, the different demons, Naraku and anything else Kagome could think of. She even took the time to answer any of Ariana's questions as she came up with them. It was surprising how well Ariana began to take to her tale. Hours passed by the time Kagome finished. She didn't even realize how much she'd done through out the year until she said it out loud in detail. Ariana was no longer sitting, but pacing back end forth in her own little world. 

There was still no Inuyasha when Kagome finished, and she thought it best if she get to the village to check in. 

"Would you like me to take you home, or would you like to come to the village with me?" Kagome asked. 

"I would like to see this village," Ariana answered truthfully. 

"All right then follow me!" Kagome stood and once again hoisted her pack over her shoulder. Ariana followed wordlessly in Kagome's suit. 

"Isn't that the God Tree?" Ariana asked as they passed the tree. 

"Un-huh," Kagome answered. The village came into view only a few minutes later. Kagome's worry started to build up as she thought of how she was going to explain Ariana to everyone and then the question was where on earth was Inuyasha? It wasn't like him to keep _her_ waiting. Something reassured Kagome when she spotted Kaede's hut in the distance. Everything was the same and nothing appeared to be wrong. Kaede emerged from the herb garden as the two girls reached her hut. 

"Good morning Kaede!" Kagome called to the old woman. 

"How was your trip home child?" Kaede asked Kagome when they stood in front of her. 

"It was fine," Kagome shrugged. "It felt good to sleep." Kaede smiled in understanding.

"Who is your friend?" Kaede questioned noticing Ariana. 

"This is Ariana," Kagome introduced almost forgetting Ariana was behind her. 

"Ye come from Kagome's time, do ye not?" Kaede asked Ariana. 

"Yeah!" Ariana answered happily. She smiled enthusiastically as she bounced up and down. "Everything here is so amazing and peaceful." 

Again Kaede smiled sweetly to Ariana. Kagome glanced over her shoulder to Ariana and then back to Kaede. By her expression, Kagome could tell the old woman was thinking the same thing Kagome couldn't answer. _How did Ariana get through the well? _

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            "Indeed this is strange," Kaede pondered out loud. The three of them now sat in her hut after a light lunch. 

            "I thought only Inuyasha and I could go through the well?" was Kagome's thought. The two stared at Ariana, but she was too busy looking around the hut to notice. 

            "Why is it that girls in your time feel the need to wear such little clothing?" Kaede wondered out loud. Kagome opened her mouth to try to answer, but was cut off. 

            "It sooooo hot out side! Haven't you noticed it's summer? You're not supposed to wear layers of clothes! Aren't you hot with all that on?"

            "No, I wouldn't say I was hot child. I'm used to it ye could say. It wouldn't be proper to wear lighter clothing than this," Kaede answered in an amused tone. 

            "You haven't seen Inuyasha lately have you?" Kagome remembered. Kaede nodded. 

            "Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Shippo all went in search of Jewel Shards last night." Kaede answered. Kagome's brow knitted together. 

            "They went without me?" Kagome was hurt that they'd leave her behind. 

            "There was a sudden report of a demon in a nearby village. They had no time to get ye." Kaede added after seeing the young miko's distress. "They should be coming back any time now." Kagome seemed to relax at Kaede's words. 

            "I suppose we should be getting back to our time," Kagome sighed as she looked back at her friend. 

            "But I don't want to go yet! Please let me stay!" Ariana cried. 

            "Why would you want to stay? I've told you how dangerous it is here," Kagome more or less wondered out loud. 

            "I think you are forgetting that I fear nothing," Ariana boasted. "Plus, everything you described sounded like a blast! How could I pass up this once in a life time opportunity?" Leave it to Ariana to think a life-threatening situation was fun. Kagome remembered when she'd first met Ariana. 

            _"Kagome, this is Ariana," Ms. __Higurashi introduced her daughter. Kagome stared at her new exchange student. She was from America and she looked it. The girl had on bran new Adidas sneakers and her hair was warn in French braid pigtails, the same as today.  Ariana's bright green eyes glittered as she shook Kagome's hand. _

_            "It so cool to finally met you!" Ariana said excitedly and gave a warm smile. Kagome couldn't help but smile back. "We are going to have so much fun," Ariana continued to talk as they walked out of the airport. "We have to go skydiving, bungee jumping, dirt biking, oowh and we must go surfing! I've never tried that before. I live in Montana. It's nowhere near the ocean. But I go snowboarding all the time! Have you been snowboarding before?" _

_            Kagome just shook her head starring dumbly at the girl._

_"You must! It's the most fun you'll ever have!" Ariana grabbed Kagome's hand and dragged her as they caught up to Kagome's mom. What was wrong with this girl? Half the things Ariana listed would surely send Kagome to an early grave let alone be fun!  Ms. __Higurashi noticed Kagome's lack of words. It wasn't like Kagome not to be talking as much as Ariana was. Kagome caught her mom's eyes and gave her a pleading look that asked for help. Her mom just mouthed for her to say something. So Kagome said the first think that to her mind. _

_            "Why are you so hyper? Do you have ADD or something?" _

_            "Kagome!" her mother scolded. Ariana just giggled not taking Kagome's comment to offense. _

_            "Yeah, I do," Ariana shrugged. _

            Sometimes it was hard to believe Ariana had AD/HD. At times she was perfectly calm, when she had the proper medicine that is. Kagome turned her attention from her thoughts back to the Ariana pacing through the hut. She tapped on her stomach like a drum and was humming some type of tune to herself. Kagome wondered if Ariana had taken her medicine that morning. 

            "Are you sure you want to stay?" Kagome asked. 

            "Yeah! Come on Kagome?" 

            "Ok, then you can stay," Kagome decided. Ariana smiled radiantly with glee. It might just be fun to have a modern friend with her. There was still a part of her that told her she should ask her other companions first, but they weren't here, and Ariana was always a delight to have around.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "I'll be back in a few hours," Kagome informed Kaede before leaving the hut. 

            "I will be sure to inform Inuyasha of your arrival if he shows up," Kaede assured. The two girls left from the hut out into the hot afternoon. Ariana now noticed her reactions to a lack of medicine in her body. Kagome could see she was struggling against herself not to bounce around like a five year old. It was always a mystery to Kagome how Ariana was so smart, because her mind and body weren't always in control. Kagome smiled as Ariana's walk started to have more of a skip to it. 

            "Do you have any sugar?" Ariana asked now fully skipping at her side. 

            "No, I left my pack in Kaede's hut. Why on earth would you need sugar? From the looks of it, you are going to get hyper enough as it is," Kagome assumed. Ariana smiled thoughtfully. 

            "Well that's what a lot of people think. They think if you give a hyper kid sugar then it will make then even more hyper. But in reality, if you give a kid enough sugar, it can boost their energy over the top to make them calm," Ariana spoke her wisdom. 

            "I never thought of it that way," Kagome realized. 

            "Not a lot of people do because they don't understand that Ritalin acts the same as the sugar, give or take a few details," Ariana laughed. 

            "Do you ever wonder why you're so smart?" Kagome let the questions fall from her mouth before she realized what she said. Ariana wasn't mad; she just smiled like always. It was something Kagome noticed with Ariana; she didn't take things to offense most of the time. 

            "That's an easy enough question. When I was four, my disorder drove my parents nuts. They refused to speak to me at times, because I'd forget everything they said. So my dad hired a private tutor as a way to force my short-term memory to function properly. The plan kind of back fired, because I took to learning quite fast. I didn't forget the things I learned, and I found myself not straining to pay attention. Every now and then I'd get uncontrollable urges to run around the room, but that was just the predominately hyperactive-impulsive type of AD/HD," Ariana paused. Kagome took the time to swallow Ariana's jumble of words at the end. 

            "But like I said, my parents plan back fired. I could concentrate on learning, but I still couldn't remember simple daily information. I believe that it is because learning makes me think, and thinking slows me down enough to pay attention. That's my own little theory whether it's right or not is beyond me. Well finally my parents did the last think they could do and started to pump me full of drugs." Ariana's voice turned bitter and her eyes glassed over. 

            "Wow, you lived with me for a year, and I never asked you these questions before," Kagome thought out loud trying to steer Ariana out of her sudden sour demeanor. _She's always so happy, but when she talks about her family she gets depressed. _Kagome observed her friend as they got nearer to the forest border. 

            "It doesn't matter. Does it?" 

            "I guess you're right, but it's interesting to hear," Kagome said honestly. Ariana was such a complex person to know. One minute she could be serious and thoughtful and the next minute, carefree and adventurous. Overall, the only word to describe Ariana would be spontaneous. You never knew what she was going to throw at you next. 

            "Enough talk! Come on, I'll race you to the well," Ariana took off into the woods. Kagome attempted to follow, but a familiar voice stopped her. 

            "Kagome," Sango called. Kagome turned to see Sango and Kirara running to catch up with her. "It's good to see you back," Sango's warm tone met her ears. 

            "It's good to be back," Kagome said. "Where are Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippou?"

            "They are already at the well waiting for you," Sango answered. 

            "Oh no," Kagome gasped. 

            "What?" Sango asked confused. 

            "Ariana!" and with that Kagome sprinted in the direction of the well.

AN: Again this was a character-building chapter. Sorry if I'm taking a while to get to the plot of this story! I feel for this story to be good, I just can't jump into it. So hang tight. 


	4. Crazy

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own InuYasha. 

AN: Here I am working on another chapter even though I know I should be working on homework. *shifts eyes* (Don't tell!) And as of right now I'm saddened because I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter! *pouts* Yeah, the last chapter was crap, but this one is better! HA! Let's hope so anyway. lol

Chapter 3 

Crazy 

            "Who the hell are you?!" a very angry Inuyasha yelled at the girl in front of him. He couldn't help but get the feeling that this girl might be from Kagome's time. She had Kagome's sent on her and many other scents that he couldn't place. She gave him the feeling that she was otherworldly, and he didn't like it. This girl was strange and the farther away from her the better. The girl didn't seem to register his question because she just tilted her head and smiled. He wouldn't like her reply. 

            "Did you know you have cat ears?" she asked, her eyes fixated on his twitching ears. A surge of anger ran through his demon blood as he looked on at this brainless girl. He wanted to rip her head off at that moment, but he thought better of it. If Kagome did know this girl, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to kill her. He didn't need Kagome getting mad at him for killing her friends.  

            "They're not cat ears!" Inuyasha yelled unable to control the temper of his words. This girl was annoying, maybe even more so then Kagome could get. She looked at him with the eyes of a curious child, eyes an impossible green. It gave him the chills just to look directly into them. He could smell no fear in her aura just intense interest. Slowly, the girl's eyes began to glaze over with a look of boredom, and she turned away from him as if he hadn't been standing there at all. Inuyasha's ears pinned back in irritation. 

              _What's wrong with her? I should just rid myself of her stupidity. _Instead of ripping her apart like he wanted to, he used his demon speed to appear in front of her. 

            "WHO-THE-HELL-ARE-YOU!" he felt a hand on his shoulder. Right away, he knew it was Miroku. Of course Miroku would want to step in if it involved a woman. 

            "Inuyasha, please try to act like an adult," his calm voice instructed the fuming half-demon. Miroku gave Inuyasha a slight shove so he was now standing in front of the girl. Inuyasha "Feh'd" and looked away from the sight of Miroku and the girl. 

            "Let's try to act decent then shall we?" Inuyasha muttered under his breath in disgust at the Monk. 

            "What my friend was trying to say is you're just so beautiful and we must learn your name," Miroku said turning on his charm. The girl smiled brilliantly at the compliment. Her smile held a power that Inuyasha added on his list of reasons not to like her. 

            "How sweet. I'm Ariana," she held out her hand to Miroku but instead of him taking her hand in return, he reached and felt up her backside. 

            *SMACK*

            Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the Miroku's perverse actions. The monk now had a distinctive red hand mark covering one side of his face. 

            "Too soon?" Miroku looked back at Inuyasha. 

            "Too soon monk," he replied in a grunt. 

            "Just because you're charming doesn't mean you can feel me up as you please!" Ariana spoke up grabbing their attention. She spoke very matter-o-factly, like she was someone of importance. Inuyasha had to give her credit for sticking up for herself, but he couldn't help but add his own rude comment. 

            "Come off it Monk. She's no exceptional beauty," Inuyasha said. He looked back at the girl to see if he struck a cord. Surly enough, Ariana was now glaring at him with her creepy green eyes. A power flowed off her that wasn't normal. Just as the feeling came on him, it passed, but her aura was slightly pulsing with her mysterious power. Yet another thing that Inuyasha disliked about her, the little wave of power didn't set him at ease. It wasn't human, but there was no evidence to prove her other wise. 

            "I'm truly sorry for my actions and my friend's," Miroku turned back to her and knelt at her feet. "Let me introduce myself, I am Miroku and that is the high-strung Inuyasha," he pointed back to Inuyasha who stood ready to stick him. "My intentions were honorable! I was just so caught up in your beauty that my friend obviously is blind to! Please, will you bear my children?" Ariana stood staring down at him for a long time, her powerful aura softening at his cheesy words. Neither Inuyasha nor Miroku thought she was going to reply. 

            "Sure, why not?" Ariana finally shrugged. She stepped up to Miroku and patted him on the head before walking over to Inuyasha. 

            "You do know that he just asked you to have his kids right?" Inuyasha didn't know what to think at that moment. He never thought he'd see the day when a stranger didn't turn down Miroku's offer. 

            "It's not everyday I'll met a pervert monk who wants to have children," the girl smiled, that influential smile and gave him a mischievous wink. Inuyasha wasn't sure how to place this strange girl. She was interesting that's for sure, but he didn't know if he found her intriguing or just annoying. He knew above all else that he didn't like her.  Looking back at Miroku, he could see the monk was coming out of his dazed shock. A familiar sent flooded his nose, and he looked past Miroku to see Sango and Kagome coming into the clearing. 

            "Why Lady Sango! Lady Kagome!" Miroku called. "You're just in time to see I've found a suitable woman to bear my children."

            "I highly doubt that," Sango huffed. She may have put on a front, but Inuyasha knew Sango had feelings for Miroku even if she didn't admit it.

            "Well it just so happens," he stood to pull Ariana at his side. Ariana just got confused as she looked from Miroku to Sango. Ariana's confused gaze softened when she realized her situation. Inuyasha was impressed at how fast Ariana picked things up, but the list of dislikes was still longer than the list of likes. "This beauty has agreed to have my children." Sango swiftly walked over the girl and pulled her from Miroku grasp. Sango's jealously flooded Inuyasha's senses. 

            "I'm not sure what he did to you, but I assure you that you want nothing to do with this monk," she turned back to stare daggers at Miroku. Ariana's laugh caused everyone to raise their eyebrows. 

             "Oh I see!" she giggled. "You obviously want to have that man's kids! Well by all means, don't let me stop you. I can clearly see you have feelings for him. I am very sorry for arousing your jealousy," Ariana added in mock seriousness. Sango's expression went blank, as she turned white. 

            "I am not jealous!" she quickly shouted. "Look here girl! You got it all wrong. I despise that pervert so go ahead and have him!" 

            "Before Sango kills this girl, not that I'd mind," everyone turned to Inuyasha who was now sitting on the ground with the tetsusaiga resting against his shoulder. His eyes were closed, and his expression was either boredom or anger. He was much fed up with the girl Ariana. He wanted his questions about her answered. "But will someone please tell me who this wench is!" he pointed to the girl without opening his eyes. 

            "Inuyasha," Kagome came to kneel next to him. He could feel her small hands rest on his shoulders. He softened at her touch and some of his stress melted away. "This is my friend Ariana." Inuyasha opened his eyes glancing at Kagome and then Ariana. 

            "You can't just bring your friends down the well out of the blue! This isn't some game," Inuyasha snapped harshly. _Wait… how would this girl get down the well? _

            "I know, but it was an accident. Ariana just followed me through the well. It's not like I could have stopped her," Kagome defended in her own harsh tone. She stood up and moved away form him. Inuyasha instantly missed her presence by his side. He hadn't seen her in a few days and all he can do is act like an ass. She left the first time because he was acting like an ass!  Shippou jumped to her shoulder taking Inuyasha's missed opportunity.  

            "It's good to have you back Kagome!" he cried happily.

            "I wasn't gone for that long,' she laughed as she pulled the kit into a hug. He lovingly snuggled into Kagome's embrace looking over her shoulder to stick his tongue out at Inuyasha. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists in a warning, but Shippou continued to cuddle with Kagome just to annoy him. Kagome had adopted the kit as her own pup and as such the kit stayed closer to Kagome more and more. Inuyasha glanced in Ariana's direction sensing her eyes on him. She was giving him a knowing smile, as if she knew him or something. It was the same look she'd just given Sango. _Who does she think she is?! _Inuyasha just glared at the girl and turned back to Kagome who had now set Shippou back on the ground. 

            "Do you come from where Kagome comes from?" a curious Shippou asked as he bounced over to Ariana. Ariana just tilted her head at Shippou. It was obvious she'd never seen a demon before. Shippou got close enough to her that she could reach out to him. He stood still looking up at her as she knelt down to get a closer inspection of the Fox demon. Shippou smiled happily and Ariana returned his smile. 

            "You're cute," she sighs tilting her head. " I thought demons were mean viscous beasts, but you're much cuter than grumpy over there," Ariana nods in Inuyasha's direction. Inuyasha stays indifferent by her opinion. 

            "We're not all bad," Shippo said. Ariana nodded.  

            "I come from the same time as Kagome," she answered the kit's previous question. "But I don't hail from Japan. I was born in Montana," Ariana answered but she just got blank stares from the group. 

            "Montana's in America," Kagome stepped in. "You guys remember when I explained about America?" The group nodded vaguely remembering one of Kagome's many stories from her own time.

            "Does everyone in _America_ speak with your horrific accent?" Inuyasha asked. The rest of the group shot him a disapproving glare, but Ariana didn't seem to care. She was now busy studying a tree close by. 

            "Most people in America learn English as their native language. English is _my_ native language. I think my horrific accent as you put it, has gotten much better believe it or not," Ariana stated. She reached up to the low hanging branch of the tree and pulled herself up. Inuyasha had a hard time believing her accent was once worse. He had a hard time believing Ariana was sane in general. Most _humans_ he'd met didn't climb around in trees like this one. _Add that to the list_. 

            "What is English?" Sango asked. 

            "It's a hideous language. It's just a bunch of different languages thrown together," Ariana answered as she continued to climb the tree. Inuyasha watched her in amusement; he could see she was going to lose her balance soon. 

            "What is she doing?" Sango whispered to Kagome. 

            "She's molesting the tree. What do you think?" Kagome answered with a giggle. 

            "That's interesting." Miroku said with a perverted smile. Kagome rolled her eyes as Sango and Miroku looked on with interest. It wasn't like they'd never seen Inuyasha climb a tree. Watching Ariana climb didn't seem like a new thing to Kagome. Inuyasha assumed Ariana climbed trees a lot back in their time. It wouldn't surprise him. 

Ariana had only gotten a short distance up the tree before she lost her grip on a branch and fell to the ground. She landed ungracefully on her butt and palms of her hands. Inuyasha felt the sudden urge to laugh, but he repressed the desire. Instead he just let out a signature "Feh." 

            "She's not very graceful is she?" Miroku commented as Ariana amused him too. Ariana just picked herself up off the ground and attempted to climb the tree again. There was a look of determination on her face. 

            "Can't you sit still?" Inuyasha demanded at the climbing Ariana.  

            "Probably not at the moment," Kagome answered for the girl. Inuyasha just gave her a skeptical look. He had seen five year olds that could sit longer than she could. It just proved more that Ariana was crazy, and that she shouldn't be trusted. Kagome must have got the message from his look because she added, "She can't because her body won't let her."

            "Is she possessed?" Miroku quickly asked. 

            "Not quite," Ariana giggled. She had once again fallen out of the tree and had joined the group. Inuyasha was surprised at her sudden appearance. He didn't expect her to return so fast, so much for her determination. "I could tell you I have ad/hd, but sense you have no idea what it is, I can tell you that it's basically a disorder that makes me act like a kid all the time." _Yup, she's crazy, _Inuyasha mind snag. 

            "Are you sure you're not just possessed, because I can do an exorcism," Miroku added very seriously. 

            "If only it were that simple, because I'm _not_ possessed," Ariana spoke in a humorous tone. "But I do take different things that control my _kid disorder_," she held up her hands and used her fingers to make quotations around the last two words. 

            "Like the medicine Kagome brings with her?" Sango asked. 

            "I guess," Ariana shrugged as she looked back at Kagome. 

            "Yup! And with that said, we have to get back to our time to get Ariana's medicine. We'll be back before supper," Kagome took Ariana's wrist and lead her to the well. Inuyasha suddenly stood up. _Kagome just got here. And what did she mean when she said, '**We'll** be back?'_

            "Wait," Inuyasha bounded in front of Kagome to stop her just before she reached the well. His eyes pierced through Kagome's from under his bangs as he totally ignored Ariana. 

            "You're not bringing that nut bag back here with you! You figure out how to get her back to your time and then you get your ass back here!" Inuyasha used a tone that he thought would leave her no choice. It just so happened that Kagome's will was unbreakable that day. His ears pinned back as her blazing blue eyes flamed. 

            "Excuse me?" Kagome demanded. "You have no right to speak about my friend like that! What if I said your mom was fat… and…well never mind, but you better say sorry to Ariana!" she got flustered in her rage. Inuyasha just looked at her in bewilderment. 

            "Feh," was Inuyasha's only response. 

            "That's as good of a sorry as you're gonna get," Kagome informed Ariana. She just shrugged her shoulders. 

            "It's alright. Being a nut bag is better than being a jack ass," Ariana answered. Her voice was smooth, but deadly. _Add that to the list of dislikes. _Inuyasha thought. At that moment he didn't care how much Kagome would get mad, he needed to rid the earth of Ariana. The cracking sound of his knuckles must have gotten to Kagome, because she suddenly got nervous. 

            "SIT!" Kagome's voice demanded. *Thump*

            Kagome and Ariana stepped over the face planted Inuyasha who lay fuming in his dent in the earth. He could hear them both ran towards the well. Kagome's eyes were on him and he knew it even if he couldn't see her. He was in trouble and at the mercy of her wrath when she got back… if she came back.  

            "_We'll_ be back soon!" Kagome called and the two jumped into the well. The spell wore off and Inuyasha jumped to his feet. He attempted to follow them down the well, but was stopped by something hard crashing down on his head. 

            "What the hell was that for?" Inuyasha demanded rubbing the large bump on his head. Sango had sent her boomerang over his skull full force. 

            "I think you need time to cool of. I can't believe how rude you can be sometimes," Sango lectured. 

            "Yeah!" Shippou added in the heat of Sango's words. "Why did you have to yell at Kagome's nice friend?" Inuyasha snatched the fox demon by his tail and held him away from himself. He did it just because he could. The small demon cried in furry at his unfortunate position. "Put me down! I'm going to tell Kagome!" he squealed. 

            Inuyasha dropped the kit as a familiar sent invaded his nose. Kirara tensed at Sango's feet and transformed into her full form. Sango and Miroku both got into a fighting stance. The brush from the forest in front of them shifted and out stepped none other than the Lord of the Western Lands himself. Inuyasha drew tetsusaiga and it transformed in a flash of flame. 

            "What do you want you bastard?" Inuyasha growled in warning. The Ice Prince said not a word and stared at them with his usual emotionless mask. 

            "I am not here to fight you little brother." 

            "How can I trust you?" Inuyasha wasn't going to fall into his trap. He wanted tetsusaiga; that's all he ever wanted. 

            "I have come for the girl."

            "Fuck no! I'm not giving you Kagome!" he spat. He had no idea why he'd want Kagome. What was Sesshomaru thinking? Sesshomaru just glared at him with his unnerving gaze. Inuyasha hated how Sesshomaru could use such little words. 

            "If not Kagome, then who!" Inuyasha yelled. His temper was boiling over now. Sesshomaru gave no indication that he would answer Inuyasha. It didn't matter, because Sesshomaru barley answered questions asked to him, let alone demanded. "I have no idea who you're talking about!" Inuyasha snapped. 

            "Who was with your wench a few minutes ago," it was a question, but the way he put it didn't make it sound like one.   
            "Ariana?" the name fell from his mouth. He was confused, as he looked up at half-brother. What would he want with a human? 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Kagome figured that as long as they were both in contact, they would both be transported through the well. Just as Kagome predicted, Ariana and herself were engulfed in a purple light and landed softly back in modern times. 

            "Let's get out of here before Inuyasha comes after us," Kagome said as she started to climb the latter. Ariana followed and the two girls walked back to the house.  

            "Why does than Inuyasha hate me so much?" Ariana asked as they walked through the door into the house. No one was home, but Kagome's mom left a note saying they had went shopping. 

            "I can't say. Inuyasha isn't very trusting," Kagome sighed. She watched Ariana pop a few pills in her mouth and swallow them with a glass of water. 

            "He trusts you. I can tell. I can also see that you're in love with him."

"Is it that obvious?" 

"And I'm not sure, but if it wasn't love and jealousy in his eyes when you played with Shippou then I couldn't say what else it was," Ariana tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and smiled broadly at a blushing Kagome. 

            Kagome helped Ariana pack for the feudal area. She instructed her on everything that was necessary, but Ariana turned out to be a light packer. The only thing technologically advanced she brought was her mp3 player. Kagome wasn't sure if it was a wise idea, but Ariana promised not to lose it or use it in front of the villagers. Ariana had her medium sized backpack stuffed by the time they finished. 

The girls had a quick dinner before they headed back to the well. Kagome made sure Ariana really wanted to go, but Ariana insisted she did. With everything set, they once again jumped back into the well. 

AN: Was that chapter any better? Will someone review? Who knows! Alrighty then, I wasn't planning on putting Sesshomaru in this chapter, but he just kinda popped in. Funny how that happens *Ponder* I originally was planning to have Ariana travel with the group for a bit, but that idea was boring so I changed it! I plan to get the next chapter out soon! 

Je na! 


	5. MUST READ PEOPLES!

READ!

:::Author's Note:::

Howdy to everyone out there in internet land reading stories and what not. I regret to inform everyone who reads my stories that I am away from the world for 5 weeks!

I'm in a program called Upward Bound, and I am super busy. I don't have time to sleep, let alone write fanfiction! So don't be upset with me! I'm taking a creative writing class right now, and I have to write massive amounts of short shorts and poems for this class. I also write other peoples stories as well so the writers out there should give some slack for being on an over load.

I'm just afraid I'm gonna get the dry well affect… when too much water is taken out and the well dries up forever… I'm worried that is gonna happen to my imagination. chill goes up my spine I'd never want that to happen.

I just wanted to post this for the people out there who are going "WTF?" Here's the answer to my lateness. Well I gotta split everyone, but look for an update in a few weeks!

::Who's the fastest To any of the long time readers of this story… check out chapter one, cause I revised it a few weeks ago! Tell me whatchaya think!::

::The Way You Breathe Sorry guys for putting this story off again. I won't forget about it! I promise!::

::Passion in its Rarest Form I'll update soon, I'm super close to being finished with the next chapter! Hang tight!::

::Sent to kill Well I don't think anyone reads this story… and if anyone does then they don't review! mumbles Come on people! Start reviewing or I'll be sad, my beta reader said they loved it! She doesn't even like Inuyahsa and she loved it!::

Peace out y'all!

Hehehe

Isilmeselde


	6. Trap

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha… or do I? Mad lawyers pop out of nowhere Ahhhh! I don't, I don't!

AN: I can take a hint. No one likes Ariana… sniff sniff Well two people reviewed so yeah! Thanks to Riath and C-chan for being my only reviews for chapter four. Give me more reviews people and I'll update faster!

* * *

Chapter 4

Trap

Inuyasha paced restlessly back and forth in front of the bone eaters well. His mind was going about a hundred miles a minute. He was carefully going over the information he had just received from his half-brother, Sesshomaru. Was he really going to do what the demon had planned? Would he stoop that low to get rid of someone Kagome liked, but he didn't? _Hell yes!_

He agreed to help Sesshomaru get Ariana, but why the great demon needed a human like her was a mystery to Inuyasha. A part of him said this sounded suspicious, but the other part was screaming get rid of the crazy girl! Miroku, Sango, and Shippou of course tried to stop him, but Sesshomaru took care of that problem. A little bit of his poison vapors was enough to knock them out and give them enough time to execute the plan. It was all going to be very easy.

All Inuyasha had to do was wait for the girls to get back. Sesshomaru was no longer near the clearing. He was in his respective spot waiting for his prey. Inuyasha was getting bored, so he flopped down on the grass and watched as the sun dipped down over the horizon. His senses told him he was tired from the day's recent events, and he was having a hard time keeping awake. He was about to nod off when he felt a familiar presence. It was coming at him fast. He could see a serpent like creature float above the tops of the trees. He immediately knew… _Kikyo._

He ran in her direction, forgetting about waiting for Kagome and Ariana. He sprinted through the woods to a new clearing. There in the middle was Kikyo. Her porcelain, pale skin glowed in the now dark night. Her lifeless eyes stared back at him in a somehow piercing gaze. An evil smile cracked at the corners of her month. He hated what she had become, but he could never stop loving her. What kind of vicious circle had he gotten himself into? Even now he wanted to pull her into his arms no matter what her form. He still saw her as his first love. He took one step forward, but she raised her arm to signal for him to stop.

"You will stay where you are Inuyasha." Her dead voice spoke out. Inuyasha breathed out a sigh before he knew he was doing it. Kikyo narrowed her eyes at him, but held her ground. "You're a fool Inuyasha," she laughed. _Why is everything about her so lifeless? _Inuyasha wondered helplessly, but he knew the answer.

"Is that why you showed yourself to me? To tell me that I'm a fool?" he asked, his voice on the edge of cracking. Silence greeted him as light breeze blew past him and with it the new sent of Kagome and Ariana. It signaled that they had passed through the well and were back. He knew he needed to get back, but he couldn't leave.

"You are too quick to judge. It could cost you a lot. Be careful with what choices you make," and with those last words, Kikyo's soul collectors circled her and carried her off.

"Kikyo," he whispered. "Kikyo, wait!" he cried out, but she was gone. What that was about, he had no idea. Kikyo showed up before, but never had she said so little and been so vague. He didn't have time to sort out her message. Suddenly, Inuyasha remembered that the girls were back. He dashed in the direction of the well. He came up on them within seconds.

"All right," he started as he appeared in front of them. Both Kagome and Ariana stood perfectly still with creepy smiles and cocked heads. They were supposed to look like they'd listen to him, but it was too fake.

"Where have you been?" Kagome finally asked. Inuyasha was relieved when her tone wasn't suspicious, but more playful. She had no idea that he was with Kikyo. It stung at his heart to know she trusted him. He kept his cool as he answered.

"I got bored waiting for you!" It was the only answer he'd need. "Now I have a few rules. Psycho here can stay with us as long as she stays by you and as long as she doesn't bug me. Last thing is if she takes a bath," he finished.

"I guess that shouldn't be too hard, right?" Kagome turned to Ariana who nodded with a mock serious expression.

"You'll never know I'm here!" Ariana chimed.

"And about the bath, can't she take one in the morning? I'm tired, and I just want to sleep, not take her to the river," Kagome whined.

"No! She reeks of your time even more than you do!" Inuyasha said firmly.

"I do not reek!" Kagome flared.

"Hold it you guys!" Ariana stepped in before it got into a full on war. "I'll take a bath by myself Kagome. I remember where that river was, and I brought all my own supplies. I'll be fine," Ariana assured.

"You're not safe out here by yourself," Kagome insisted.

"Come on, what's out here to hurt me?" Ariana giggled. Inuyasha just remained silent with the most innocent look her could muster as he listened as the girls took their turn to argue. It was different from when Kagome and him fought. He noted girls were more cat-like when they fought. It was, in a way, amusing. He studied his claws; hopping their bickering would go faster and Ariana would be gone.

"Fine, for Inuyasha's sake, go take a bath. I suppose you'll be all right," Kagome finally gave in. Inuyasha's ears perked up when the fight ended. He looked from Kagome to Ariana as Ariana adjusted her backpack and got a towel from Kagome's backpack.

"Will you go make me ramen now?" Inuyasha's voice cut the silence as soon as Ariana was headed down the path to the river. Kagome didn't answer him.

"You better scream if anything happens to you!" Kagome lectured, clearly worried about her friend.

"You know I don't scream!" Ariana's now distant voice called back. Kagome let out a sigh and headed for Kaede's hut.

"Feh. What are you worried for anyway?" Inuyasha inquired.

"I just know it's not safe out there. Remember the first time I was out here, and I got kidnapped by bandits?" Kagome answered. He couldn't forget that day. It was the day she carelessly wondered off, got kidnapped, lost the jewel of four souls and shattered the jewel into a thousand pieces. Kagome turned and left towards the village. He watched Ariana disappear into the night. She was walking straight towards her trap. He hesitated a moment before he finally made his way to Kaede's hut.

* * *

The dirt path wound along the forest as Ariana skipped merrily to the river. Straining her ears, she caught the distant sound of water flowing. She continued in that direction using the moon and the stars as her light. Her mind was remotely clear. She focused on taking a bath and getting to bed. So much had happened in one day. It was hard to believe she had digested all the information that was forced on her today.

A clearing came into view with a rocky shore along side the river. Setting her bag down, she stepped carefully to the water's edge. She crouched down, resting on the balls of her feet and reached out to feel the temperature of the water. Placing the palm of her hand on the clear surface, she was in for a shock. The water was freezing and she quickly withdrew her hands. The water rippled from her contact, and she watched it as it went on and on. She tilted her head at a dark image reflected in the glassy surface of the water that stood to her side.

Very carefully, she shifted her eyes to the side to try to see if someone was there or if it was just her imagination. Her eyes caught sight of a figure standing next to her. With ease, she turned around and stood up, keeping her gaze at the person's feet. Her eyes casually drifted up. The figure was dressed in clothing that fit the era and it had two swords at their side. There was something fluffy wrapped around the person's broad shoulders which made her decide the person was male. Her line of sight finally fell on his face. His fair skin stood out from the dark night. The markings on his face stood out all the more. She carefully examined his two magenta stripes on each side of his face and blue crescent moon in the middle of his forehead. Gorgeous locks of silver hair framed his face. He was like an angle, but she knew he was more the opposite. This man was a demon.

Her breath fell short by surprise when she finally locked eyes with him. Molten golden eyes stared down at her with an intensity that she could not match. It seemed like there was no emotion to grab to in their depths. They were almost the same as Inuyasha, but Inuyasha's eyes were softer. Nothing like the piercing gaze she received now. She wanted to reach out to the statue in front of her to prove to herself that he was real, but she used all of her self-control to keep her arms at her side.

"You're so beautiful. I'm so jealous," fell from her lips before she could stop the words and her mouth cracked into a smile. The demon in front of her stood emotionless, but with her human eyes, she couldn't see his eyebrow rise just slightly.

"You are Ariana," the demon's cool, serene voice stated. His tone swirled in her mind as she wondered if he was always this cold.

"Yeeaaasssss," she let the word seep cautiously from her lips. She may not have been afraid, but she wasn't stupid. She took a step back as he took a step forward. In a blink of an eye, he had taken another step tying the distance between them. He reached out for her chin with one hand. Ariana was too distracted by his claws to realize what he was doing. Again, she was reminded of Inuyasha, but this demon's wrist had two magenta stripes like his face and his claws had more of a deadly sharpness to them.

Her eyes finally glanced up to lock with his golden orbs once again. His eyes narrowed at her like she had done something wrong. She held his intense gaze not sure of what else to do. He made her feel naked… like she should worry about her every little feature. After what seemed like hours, he released her face.

Ariana's hand immediately flew up to her chin. She rubbed it at its sudden soreness, because of his harsh treatment.

"What do you want with me," it didn't come out as a question. Her eyes searched the hollowness of his. _If only there was something, _she thought. He remained perfectly still. Not an inch of him moved. At least humans fidgeted, like Ariana did now.

"You will follow me," his voice commanded, in no way did it sound like a request. The demon turned his back to her and started to walk. Ariana stared dumbly after him, not quiet sure of what to do. She wasn't just going to follow him. Why wouldn't he answer her, and why was he so lifeless?

Her mind was telling her to run although she wasn't scared. With her last thoughts, she decided to run instead of follow this mystery demon. It seemed liked a good idea, but Ariana still had no idea what kind of speed and strength a full demon possessed. She took off into the dark of the night woods. Everything was a shadow, creating shapes that looked to be alive. Her long legs strode faster, making her breathing become heavy and her head light. She thought she had lost him, for she didn't hear anything behind her. She stopped and looked around the empty path. A low tree branch hung out at the side of the road and she did the only thing she could think of.

She climbed into the tree hoping to hide. She had a lot to learn about demons. Her breathing was still heavy from the run and from the adrenaline that coursed through her. It was her life to reach an adrenaline rush. That's why she was always jumping off cliffs and what not. There were only a handful of people who were like her. To be human was to fear and fear would save your life. Ariana was never afraid, which was a human flaw. She was told on many occasions that her lack of fear would kill her. She hoped this wasn't one of those occasions.

As she climbed, her foot caught on a small branch. She slipped and fell back but was stopped when her knees held her to a larger branch and she was suspended upside down. Just her luck, she was face to face with the demon she was trying to hide from. Her eyes widened in surprise at how fast and silently he found her. Imminently, she held out her hands in defense.

"Look, I don't know who the hell you are and what you want from me, but I'm not going anywhere till you tell meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee," Ariana's knees slipped and she plunged head first into the ground. Her eyes were shut as she prepared herself for the impact but it never came. Opening one eye, she saw the demon had caught one of her ankles and her nose was just a centimeter from the ground. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank," thud The demon let her go and she collided harshly with the ground. She made to get up, but her throat was grabbed by a strong hand that lifted her off the forest floor, her feet dangling a few inches above the ground. She gasped for air as she struggled in the demon's iron grip.

"Put me back down! Please?" Ariana gasped with the last of her breath. Amber eyes bore into pleading green eyes. Ariana's lungs felt like they were about to burst before he lowered her enough so her feet could touch the ground, his grip on her throat loosened. She was thankful to once again be able to breathe.

"You would do well to start to fear me or you'll find yourself dead. Do not make your death wench. In other circumstances I'd kill you without a second thought. Do not make me kill you now, because I have no mercy," he brought her face so close to his that his eyes actually felt like they were burning her. She meekly nodded on the verge of passing out. The demon let her go and she fell to the ground, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly. Her eyes closed washing her in blackness.

* * *

AN: wow… that took me a long time to finish! I hope the wait was worth it….. I'm not sure how much I liked the ending of this chapter. I didn't want Ariana to black out, but it just kind of happened. I might change it, but for now it can stay. Please review and let me know what you think! And thanks so much for the reviews I got already! I've been gone for 6 weeks and I just got back! Sorry if I'm behind!

And I didn't reread this chapter as well as I should have so my bad if there's a lot of mistakes…. I'll get around to editing soon.


	7. No Reasons

Disclaimer: Nah silly, I don't own Inuyasha! U must be on crack to even think Inuyasha was mine!

AN: I just kinda sat down and started writing this… not sure why. I'm in the mood to type, but then again I'm not. It's strange I know. But I got a comment that I could write better, and I agree 100 percent…. But I haven't been in the "Inuyasha mood." Whatever that is… Oo

* * *

Chapter 5

No Reasons

Kagome stood out in front of Kaede's hut staring out into the night with a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Crossing her arms over her chest she brought one of her hands up to chew nervously at her fingernails. Ariana should have been home hours ago, but she was still somewhere in the darkness. Kagome could sense Inuyasha watching her from the roof of the hut. She turned to see his silver our line in the light of the moon. His eyes watched her with regret and foreboding.

"I really think you should go check on her now Inuyasha," Kagome pleaded, her chocolate brown eyes large with fear for her friend. Without a word or even a sigh, Inuyasha leapt from the roof onto the ground running off into the forest at demon speed. She could have sworn she heard him say 'sorry Kagome,' but she was sure it was just the wind. Why she was so worried she wasn't sure… Ariana could take care of herself. But this age was dangerous. True Ariana was probably just lost and Inuyasha would be back with her any time now… but something told her Ariana wasn't just lost. And the way Inuyasha had looked at her before he ran off…

Kagome turned to wait back inside the hut but the sound of bushes rustling startled her. Kagome turned to see Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara running towards her.

"Where on earth have u guys been?" Kagome asked. Not only had she been worry about Ariana, but she had them to worry about too. Inuyasha had told her that they went to another town to pick up supplies; still, she couldn't help but fret. No one answered her question though.

"Where is Ariana?" Sango asked. Up close, they all looked a little beat up and worn and maybe a little sleepy. Kagome didn't understand but she answered, "Inuyasha just went to go look for her cause she hasn't come back from her bath…."

They were all running in the direction of the river before she got a chance to finish. She hurried after them and caught up with Shippou. He stopped for her and jumped on her shoulders.

"Hurry Kagome," his voice squeaked. "Your nice friend is in trouble!"

"Trouble? What?" Kagome asked, confusion washing over her.

As they ran, Shippou explained what happened. He told her all about Sesshomaru's visit after they left down the well and that he wanted Ariana and that Inuyasha agreed to get her to him. That's when Sesshomaru knocked them out with his poison gas. Kagome was still a little puzzled by the situation. Why would Inuyasha agree to help his brother? An even better question, why did Sesshomaru even want Ariana? One thing was for sure; Inuyasha was in for a world of hurt.

They come on to Inuyasha as he stood by the waters edge. He turned around and was surprised to see them all.

"Uh oh…."

Kagome marched up to him and looked him straight in the eyes.

"SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT!" she screamed out of frustration. While this was going on, Sango was taking Kirara around trying to find a trace of Ariana. Kagome walked away from him, too disgusted to even look at him.

"Did you find anything?" Kagome asked Sango when they were back. Sango shook her head.

"Her sent disappears…. Our best bet is to go to the west lands… if she's still alive," Sango replied weakly. Kagome looked away with tears in her eyes. She knew it was a bad idea to bring Ariana here. She was her responsibility and now she was gone. Kagome marched over to a still recovering Inuyasha. When he could raise his head, he cautiously looked up at the seething Kagome.

"How could you?" she whispered, fresh tears shining at the corner of her eyes. Inuyasha sat speechless in his hole. He never wanted to cause Kagome pain again. That feeling like he was being ripped apart from the inside was spreading through him.

"I'm…. I'm sorry Kagome…" was all he could say.

"You are going to help find her… I refuse to look for Jewel Shards until she is back safe with us. Even then I'm not sure how much I want to stay here, but I know I can't give up on Sango and Miroku," Kagome said in the strongest voice she could muster.

"But you can't…" Inuyasha started.

"SIT!" Kagome yelled, sending Inuyasha back into his hole. "We will begin to search for her at dawn." Kagome turned back with her friends, leaving Inuyasha stuck in his spell bound state.

* * *

Sesshoumaru walked in long strides, the girl following him having trouble keeping up. She had just woken up about an hour ago and was still drowsy. His mind was stuck on this strange girl. It was a mystery to him how he was called to the girl. She was visibly human, but he thought only a demon could draw him in. There had to be something more to her than he was seeing. After all, the girl didn't fear him. The only thing he'd smelt in her sent was confusion. It had made him mad, half the fun was intimidation; that he did, but there still wasn't that thrill of scaring his pray. Even demons that rarely showed fear, feared him!

He smelled the air that held her aroma, trying to find something in her scent that made her different. The only thing he could smell was the scent of various humans and even his mangy half brother on her. He couldn't even make out her own natural scent the smell of humans that clung to her was so strong. It made him crinkle his nose in disgust. There was something fake about it though, like there was something under the smell that was trying to be covered up. He immediately stopped causing her to walk smack into his back. He turned to her and saw her on the ground starring daggers at him.

"Get brake lights or at least warn me the next time you stop like that!" she yelled in frustration. She was a fast learner though. The look Sesshoumaru gave her made her clamp her hands over her mouth; she was no dummy.

"You need a bath," he informed in his monotone voice. Ariana just rolled her eyes. He could tell she wanted to say something, but he knew it wouldn't have been polite. _Maybe this will be better than I thought,_ Sesshoumaru's thoughts mused. But he still had a long way to go, and he had no idea what Ariana could get like.

"That's what I wanted to do in the first place until you came marching along and stole me away, Dammit!" Ariana spat out. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the girl that sat at his feet. She had a very powerful aura, and she was very stubborn. Ariana needed to be broken.

He pointed his finger in the direction of water. With a huff, she stood up and went skipping off in that direction. Sesshoumaru watched the girl wondering what was wrong with her. If he didn't know any better he'd say she was a full-grown Rin. Following her into the forest, he kept a good distance behind her. Soon they came to the same river Ariana had been about to take a bath in earlier, this time they were just many miles down the river. Without letting her notice, Sesshoumaru went to sit on top of a near by rock. Ariana hummed to herself as she rummaged through her pack taking out various items as she did. She seemed engrossed in whatever she was humming.

With the last of her stuff laid out, Ariana stood up and pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the ground. Every inch of her body was a glowing, golden, light brown tan that reminded him of a peasant farmer that worked in the fields all day. Her breasts were still covered by some sort of contraption made of white silk, but even with them covered, Sesshoumaru could tell she didn't have much. Her waist was too slim and her hips too narrow. He tilted his head at the mark on her back, not sure what it was. She removed her shorts, which showed off her long slender legs anyway, so she now stood practically naked.

Even though Ariana was plain, Sesshoumaru could see past her constricted human form to see a true exotic beauty within. It just puzzled him all the more. Just as she was about to finish undressing she stopped. Her body became stiff as a board like she had been caught with something she shouldn't have. She slowly turned, her eyes searching the rocks. Sesshoumaru sat back amused. It had taken her awful long to figure out he was there… but she still sensed him non-the less. Ariana's face flushed 7 different colors of red as her eyes met his, but not from embarrassment. Oh no… Ariana was angry. Her eyes glinted dangerously and he couldn't stop the grin the cracked on the corner of his lips.

"How DARE you! You tell me to take a bath so you can jack off! What a psycho! What the fuck do you…" but Sesshomaru cut her off. He knew her eyes couldn't move fast enough to pick up his quick movements, and he appeared before her to slap her firmly across her face.

"You bastard!" Ariana breathed as she raised a hand to her throbbing cheek, which was without a doubt going to bruise. Luckily for her, Sesshoumaru wasn't paying attention. He was too busy registering the fact that he had used his paralyzed arm to slap her. His arm could no longer move, but Ariana had defiantly triggered it to move just then. Sesshomaru cursed his unconscious mind for not killing the girl, for her neck would have certainly snapped if it had been his other hand he hit with. But the _pull_ that this girl had to him saved her life and it was the only thing keeping her alive.

"I'll take a bath but you need to turn around!" Ariana stated. Sesshomaru didn't take well to commands. Instead, in one motion, he grabbed her wrist and tossed her into the river. Ariana landed in a deep pool and surfaced, spitting and sputtering. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she looked around her, not sure what just happened. She swam to shore and stormed out of the water. The power that flowed from her now was more than amusing to the great demon lord. He expected her to yell, but what came from her next was more like a plea.

"Why don't you just leave me alone?" Sesshoumaru stared at her blankly. He debated in his mind what to tell her and finally he knew that what he said next would make things easier for him.

"You are mine now. It is our fate and if you fight it, you will be destroyed."

Before she had a chance to say anything, Sesshomaru let his poison fumes seep through his nails. Ariana's eyes glazed over and closed in sleep as she fell forward into Sesshoumaru. He stopped her effortlessly and lifted her with one arm, but with her this close, he could feel his paralyzed arm twitch. He ignored it.

Turning in the direction of an oncoming demon, he waited as Jaken and Rin came into view on the back of Ah Uh, his two-headed dragon. Rin's smile beamed and Jaken of course had worry written on his features. Ah Uh landed and Rin Sprinted to him with Jaken in hot pursuit.

"We found you Sesshoumaru!" Rin cried happily as she latched herself to his leg.

"When you didn't return last night, we were afraid you came into some trouble!" Jaken said in one exhausted breath. It took Jaken a second to realize what Sesshoumaru held. "What are you doing carrying a human?!" he squealed.

"Take that bag," he instructed Jaken as he pointed to Ariana's backpack. Without another word he started to walk west once again. The wind blew slightly, lifting Ariana's scent and surrounding him as he walked. He stopped when he smelt something new on Ariana, something he hadn't noticed before…

* * *

AN: Ok I'll stop there cause I'm mean! Hehehe…. Oh well, you'll get over it! Please… don't forget to review! It makes me so happy to hear what you think!


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